Home/Curriculum resources/Mathematics in nature: understanding bushfire/Activity 2 - Linking fire shape to wind speed
Learning Area:
Mathematics
Year level:
Level 6
Suggested timing:
20-30 minutes for students to work on assigned problems and 15 minute follow-up discussion.
Required resources:
Handout
Activity 2 - Linking fire shape to wind speed
This activity is a part of the Mathematics in nature: understanding bushfire resource.
Eucalypt regrowth after Black Saturday bushfires. Photographer: Robert Kerton. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 3.0
This builds on Activity 1 The shape of fire and the concept that wind-driven fires have a roughly elliptical shape.
Step by step guide
Students refer to the handout showing elliptical fire shapes of various dimensions and are required to decide which shapes correspond to fires burning under strong winds or light winds. Which fire shapes correspond to the most intense fires?
Students are introduced to the concept of length-to-breadth ratio (L/B) of an ellipse and are required to measure the length and breadth of a number of ellipses, and convert them to length-to-breadth ratios using decimal representation.
Introduce the relationship between L/B and wind speed via the graphical handout and get students to assign wind speeds to the elliptical shapes previously considered.
Related activities within this resources:
Activity 1 - The shape of fire
In this activity, students explore fire intensity, its impact, and the role of wind in shaping fires through video, group discussions, and real-world examples.
Suggested timing:
20-25 minute class discussion (including 5-minute video), followed by 10 minutes looking at handout and group discussion of the questions
Required resources:
Handout
Activity 3 - Fire spreading on hills
Building off activities 1 and 2, students will explore the concept of fire spread on hills.
Suggested timing:
15-20 minute session to outline concepts and a 30 minute session for students to work on assigned problems.
Required resources:
Handout
Activity 4 - Fire area
Building off activities 1 to 3, students will explore fire area measurement in hectares, relating it to familiar concepts like the size of a football field.
Suggested timing:
15-20 minute session to outline concepts and a 20 minute session for students to work on assigned problems
Required resources:
Handout